Air India Pilot Who Failed Alcohol Test Sacked From Top Post

By SM.13 Nov, 2018

NEW DELHI: Senior Air India pilot Captain Arvind Kathpalia has been sacked from the position of Director of Operations, a day after he was barred from flying for at least three years after failing an alcohol test before a scheduled international flight.

The Indian Commercial Pilots" Association, earlier today, had demanded Mr Kathpalia"s immediate termination because he was a "repeat offender who endangers the lives of passengers".

Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu had also asked the national carrier to relieve him immediately, sources said.

Captain Kathpalia was found to have unacceptably high blood alcohol content shortly before his flight from New Delhi to London on Sunday. This was the second instance of the senior pilot failing the breathalyzer test. In January 2017, he was grounded for three months for skipping the test before a flight.